Tamworth 2 Kidderminster Harriers 1 - Report

Darryl Knights and Bradley Reid fired the home side into a 2-0 lead before substitute Joe Ironside pulled one back late on, but it was not enough for Harriers.

John Eustace welcomed back two of his squad, both of whom missed the 3-0 win over Southport on Saturday, James McQuilkin replacing Josh Webb, whilst Joe Ironside on the bench.

Tamworth, themselves aiming for a play-off place started brightly, pushing Harriers back in the early exchanges, Luke Jones struck the ball too high from Stephan Morley’s inswinging corner.

The visitors looked nervous, Brandon Hall’s clearances being picked off by the hard-working home forwards and on 12 minutes Callum Powell intercepted one clearance drove forward and his dipping effort was diverted for a corner by the recovering Hall.

Harriers responded, Andre Brown flicking Elton Ngwatala’s left wing cross narrowly wide and Mani Sonupe singed the fingers of Shaun Rowley in the home goal.

Five minutes before the break the deadlock was broken, the impressive Powell slid the ball between Harriers’ central defenders allowing Darryl Knights to race forward.

Knights, released by Harriers at the end of last season, controlled the ball before outpacing Tyrone Williams and hitting a rising right footed drive into the top left corner of Hall’s goal.

Just before the break, Tamworth should have extended their lead but after good work down the left flank by Powell, full back Andy Burns could not keep his effort down.

Tamworth controlled play in the second half, Powell saw efforts saved as Regan Upton then fired wide before Bradley Reid extended the home side’s advantage on 52 minutes.

Again Callum Powell was instrumental in the build up, Reid received his deflected cross before beating two men and firing across Hall into the bottom corner of the net.

Harriers struggled to get back in but were given a lifeline on 80 minutes Rowley was unable to hold Elton Ngwatala’s strike and Joe Ironside followed up to net his fourth goal of the campaign.

If Rowley was culpable for the goal, he made amends with a flying save to turn over Andre Brown’s goalbound effort on the stroke of full time.

Teams:

Tamworth: Rowley, Burns, Upton, Jones, Lane, Morley, Deeney, Verma, Knights, Reid (Taylor 80), Powell. Subs Not Used: Curly, Walters, Shaw, Ezewele.

Harriers: Hall, Austin, Williams, Horsfall, Taylor, Weeks (Ironside 56), Ngwatala, Longbottom (Wright 56), McQuilkin, Sonupe (Finch 70), Brown. Subs Not Used: Digie, Webb.